FaithWorks: Jesus Cooks Fish!

Peter, John and the other disciples must have been very tired and disheartened after not catching any fish after a long night of fishing.

They hear a friendly and strangely familiar voice calling out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” John 21:4-6 .

They had not caught anything all night.

Then, they are asked to do something, which according to the natural mind, would have been mind-boggling: “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.”

They do so, and when they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. 153 to be exact, and they were all large fish. The net was not broken.

It could be a case of deja vu.

In Luke 5, in an earlier encounter with the fisherman by the Lake of Gennesaret, Christ had similarly asked them to let the nets down for a catch, after Simon

Peter had said that they had "worked hard all night" and not caught anything. Yet, cast the nets they did and to their amazement, "they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break".

And when they filled both boats, the boats became so full that they began to sink! Talk about getting a good catch!

The ichthys symbol is also known as the fish symbol of Christian faith, and it alludes to the long-standing relationship between fish and Christians. There are many uses of fish in the bible!

Fishers of Men

I will make you fishers of men, fishers of men, fishers of men...

I am sure many of us have sung that song as children, making the action of fishermen casting their nets into the sea or casting a fishing line. As a child, I remember actually being very perplexed by the song...what in the world is a fisher of men? Thankfully, I have since come to appreciate what the terms mean. "Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” Matthew 4:19

5 Loaves and 2 Fish

Another miracle concerning the fish is the enduring and amazing story of God's providence and care and concern in the story of the 5 loaves and 2 fish. Not forgetting the story of the 7 loaves and a few fish. God came to give us life and abundant life at that. There was more than enough to fill everyone, with leftovers. Also, if we could only give Him whatever small quantities of loaves and fish, He will do amazing things with them. Praise God!

The Fish and the Coin

Another story that would have astounded many around Him was when Christ instructed his disciples to get the coin out of the mouth of a fish to pay the tax!

"But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.” Matthew 17: 27

Jesus Prepares Breakfast

Coming back to the story of the disciples catching fish that early one morning. When they came to shore, a most beautiful sight (and I'm sure, aroma too) greeted them. There, by the beach, Christ had a fire of burning coals with some fish on it, and some bread. John 21:9.

Jesus cooks fish. How amazing is that? How much tender love has gone into preparing that meal for His disciples. How much care and concern was shown by Jesus as He served His disciples.

As for me and my house ... we will serve the Lord!

This month, Dayspring has great offers on wonderful products that remind us of how God has called us and served us, and how how we should serve the Lord.

One such reminder is the ichthys wood wall carving that is beautifully carved from mango wood. Hang it on your wall at home to remind you that Jesus cooks fish, and the significance of fish in the Christian life.
It is now on sale at US$29.99 (40% savings) at Dayspring.